Have you ever encountered the following problems when dealing with channels?
With the establishment and improvement of China's market economic system, the fierce market competition and the rapid technological changes make marketing channels become increasingly important. More and more companies are realizing the importance of marketing channels and prioritizing marketing channel management to the competition-strategy level. However, since China had been a planned economy for a long time, the development of its commodity circulation system is slow and some relevant policies and systems are still not sound, many companies are faced with a number of problems in respect of the creation and management of marketing channels.
1. Structural Problems of Marketing Channels
The distribution chain is too long and the channel efficiency is not high; the distribution channel is narrow; in the multi-channel structure, there is not enough cooperation among members and the structure of channels is relatively loose.
2. Problems of Channel Conflicts
Channel conflicts within the market of one region and channel conflicts between different regions.
3. Problems of Channel Member Management
Sales policies lack flexibility, does not treat distributors as strategic partners; moreover, sales policies lacks competitiveness.
The nature of business is the pursuit of profit, which is the fundamental basis for the cooperation between a company and its distribution channels. Therefore, companies must consider how to ensure a reasonable profit margin for distribution channels during the business processes, which should be adhered to through the whole process of cooperation.
4. Problems of Channel Marketing Management
For a long time, the marketing departments of most companies have been the restructured successors or even the unchanged descendants of the previous sales departments of state-owned enterprises, and these companies have not established their own planning and marketing departments which can stand the test of the market, they are unable to adapt to the needs of the market economy and have to largely rely on the marketing of local distributors. Many companies do not have any strategic visions for the designs of their distribution and marketing planning schemes, and their short-sighted efforts are out of line with the market demands, or they just rely on the marketing of local distributors and cannot effectively control the promotion process, so the limited funds are not specifically used in the right places. At last the resources are so diluted that the effect is very little. As a result of the development of the market economy, changes in customer demands are more complex, and individual needs become increasingly evident; however, the traditional thinking of "good products sell themselves" is still deeply rooted in many companies. High-quality products are just the basis for companies to survive in the market; but in order to be the last winner, companies have to rely on their comprehensive strengths.
Benefits of well-managed channel sales for companies:
1. Reduce the number of transactions, lower cost of sales and promote sales.
2. Marketing channels are the bridge and intermediary connecting manufacturers and consumers. Marketing channels connect the manufactures on the one end, and the end consumers or industrial users on the other, which serve as the bridge and intermediary connecting manufacturers and consumers to realize the transfer of ownership of goods.
3. Promote the manufacturers to expand production and distribution, and diversify business risks. Marketing channels enable manufactures to achieve economic goals through specialized division of labor, get financing and decentralize their operational risks.
4. Collect and provide market information.
How to help participants to improve channel sales capabilities:
1. Understand the trends in today's market channels
2. Business models of successful channel marketing
3. Understand strengths and weaknesses of personal sales habits based on evaluations
4. Develop channel sales strategies with simple tool tables
5. Case studies to get the participants to use what they have learned to participate in the case studies of each module to grasp and use all the knowledge points in a flexible way
How you will benefit：
- Understand the different meanings of channels and channel marketing to handle channels in an accurate way
- Acquire the challenges and changes brought by the existing channel changes to the business development
- Identify the roles, responsibilities, competences and qualities of good channel business personnel
- Grasp the key steps to develop a channel scheme, and be able to accurately grasp the key persons and purposes of each step
- Be familiar with the six major parts in channel schemes
- Develop practical channel marketing plans according to the current situations of the channel market and the existing business models
- Grasp the methods to collect channel information through the analysis and summarization of information
- Be able to implement sales forecasting management and improve sales forecasting accuracy
- Learn the key points between credit investigations and receivables and assist agents to conduct accurate assessment and management
- Identify channel agents and screening principles and develop quantifiable metrics
- Ensure long-term cooperation with channel partners and achieve win-win
What you will cover
Module 1: Competency Model of Channel Marketing
- Changes and definitions of the development of market channels
- Roles and responsibilities of channel business personnel
- Competencies and qualities of channel business personnel
Module 2: Set up channel marketing schemes
- Channel policies and sales goals
- Target markets and regional segmentation
- Competitive analysis and competitive strategy
- Financial goals and financial budget
- Sales obstacles and potential problems
- Market development and action plan
- Plan implementation and further discussion
Module 3: Channel activities and information management
- Collection and management of daily channel information
- Regular analysis and coordination of information
- Credit investigation and management of accounts receivable
Module 4: Channel assessment and long-term cooperation
- Evaluation metrics and principles of channels
- Planning and development of long-term channel partners
- Challenges and pursuits of channel management teams
Module 5: Preparation of Action Plans